TikTok is testing a new feature that will make all posts shoppable. Getty Images — Oliver Driely
TikTok is testing a feature that would make all posts shoppable. This is the social media company's latest move to build a multibillion-dollar U.S. e-commerce business.
This new feature uses technology that automatically identifies objects in your videos. Screenshots and posts seen by Bloomberg on the app encourage viewers to click on a product page and “find similar products in the TikTok Shop.” Previously, only approved influencers and brands could tag products when posting content to the app.
A TikTok spokesperson confirmed that the feature is in early testing.
The Chinese social media company launched a U.S. version of TikTok Shop last year. It's an effort to combine the ease of shopping on Amazon.com Inc. with the product discovery offered by social media sites like Instagram. Officials said earlier this month that the new business is a top priority for TikTok, which aims to sell $17.5 billion worth of products in the U.S. this year.
Shop's launch has received mixed reviews so far. Merchants interviewed by Bloomberg in December praised the app for posting record sales for small businesses through its first holiday season as TikTok funded discounts and free shipping for shoppers. The company said more than 5 million new customers purchased something in November, which included Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
However, users have complained about counterfeit and counterfeit products being sold on TikTok's marketplace. Others say the preponderance of advertising-like posts by influencers ruins the experience.
TikTok incentivizes content creators to promote their products by offering commissions on purchases made from their posts. A new feature being tested links to products in regular user posts without trying to push the envelope, potentially making the experience more pleasant for visitors who just want to be entertained.
So far, what the tests have revealed hasn't always been a perfect match. For example, a video reviewed by Bloomberg of a woman polishing a stone was offered a gold ring and two sets of metal press nails tagged as “items in video.”
